tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42546673514060344232018-03-05T23:05:53.990-08:00The Many Adventures of David and BethDavid and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-16855325074971899242011-04-08T21:04:00.000-07:002011-04-08T21:17:41.585-07:00Playing in the city(Two posts today...scroll down.) I was looking through some pictures from our recent trip to the big city. We stayed at a nice hotel with a fancy pool (thanks, Aunt Grace). We were able to swim two days in a row. The kids had a great time. I thought these pictures of the kids were good so I had to share. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0DbMaKosrVI/TZ_dZ85Vv8I/AAAAAAAAIhg/UeaUb1l76Rs/s1600/march%2B155.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593432700130541506" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0DbMaKosrVI/TZ_dZ85Vv8I/AAAAAAAAIhg/UeaUb1l76Rs/s400/march%2B155.JPG" /></a> <br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VNG1sW0JvZo/TZ_dZov388I/AAAAAAAAIhY/IowHNIIlXG8/s1600/march%2B170.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 349px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593432694722130882" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VNG1sW0JvZo/TZ_dZov388I/AAAAAAAAIhY/IowHNIIlXG8/s400/march%2B170.JPG" /></a> <br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S1umhV6P5MM/TZ_dZbnXvnI/AAAAAAAAIhQ/n3I4FwfWEVc/s1600/march%2B181.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 312px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593432691196804722" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S1umhV6P5MM/TZ_dZbnXvnI/AAAAAAAAIhQ/n3I4FwfWEVc/s400/march%2B181.JPG" /></a> <br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RxAPoe3aq5w/TZ_dZHRFdfI/AAAAAAAAIhI/0KNeKlJ_wpE/s1600/march%2B189.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 332px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593432685734622706" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RxAPoe3aq5w/TZ_dZHRFdfI/AAAAAAAAIhI/0KNeKlJ_wpE/s400/march%2B189.JPG" /></a> <br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f9XyHeeLiUU/TZ_dYxvTqKI/AAAAAAAAIhA/_hof_keLCEI/s1600/march%2B197.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 309px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593432679955802274" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f9XyHeeLiUU/TZ_dYxvTqKI/AAAAAAAAIhA/_hof_keLCEI/s400/march%2B197.JPG" /></a> <br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-51872862047413645302011-04-08T20:49:00.001-07:002011-04-08T21:02:31.222-07:00Broiled, boiled and baked!There is another side to all the interesting foods that we get to try here (see earlier posts). We REALLY appreciate familiar foods, especially those that are harder to find. Recently, Beth tried her hand at making bagels. I don't know how they compare with 'real' bagels, but to me they were awesome. We haven't had any in a year and a half. The process takes a little time and has a lot of steps (hence the entry title), but Beth said it wasn't too hard. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 339px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593427226910337570" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_O1RlRR1jjc/TZ_YbXj9KiI/AAAAAAAAIgw/DbLZePK4fXA/s400/march%2B002.JPG" /> Then, occasionally, people will send or even bring us foods that we miss. Here is my first Dr. Pepper in over about 16 months. Also, we got some more Fruit Loops, brought by a recent visitor. Elijah loves them. He calls them donuts, I think because of a Veggie Tales Silly Song called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48F-HbvXzXI">Donuts for Benny</a>. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M_9mLJYVduE/TZ_Ybg7ItYI/AAAAAAAAIg4/njbT6L0KdOs/s1600/march%2B005.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 335px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593427229423482242" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M_9mLJYVduE/TZ_Ybg7ItYI/AAAAAAAAIg4/njbT6L0KdOs/s400/march%2B005.JPG" /></a> If anyone figures out how to hook us up with some NC Bar-B-Q or Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwiches, send some our way!David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-65224952686954890382011-03-07T20:12:00.000-08:002011-03-07T20:12:00.826-08:00Miciaih's now riding!(Several posts this week. Be sure to scroll down so you don't miss anything.)<br /><br />It's been a long time in coming. We've tried on several occasions over the past several years to get Micaiah bike-riding. She has been timid and anxious about it, and my back has gotten sore from crouching and running beside her. Well, this video shows her stuff, now. <br /><br />The only remaining hurdle is for her to be able to start on her own. <br /><br /><br /><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyzKlfmBg6FiK06-wCGrU6bWxMv2OLK6kqx25aS1pX81PCWFjZidj4Kw7pFf0H1j3HxAXsysSbA3nnWilgkgA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' />David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-74925298662838013212011-03-06T19:58:00.000-08:002011-03-05T20:10:00.429-08:00Moriah turns 10!March 3 was a big day in our family. Moriah started the day by talking to Granddaddy and Sarah and opening a present. (It actually wasn't even Moriah's birthday back in NC, yet!) She got a digital camera from them, much to her delight.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rq8kpLgd3-M/TXMGplgBCtI/AAAAAAAAIgY/OJdPGdulc-0/s1600/MSK_Bday%2B005.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580811674752977618" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rq8kpLgd3-M/TXMGplgBCtI/AAAAAAAAIgY/OJdPGdulc-0/s400/MSK_Bday%2B005.JPG" /></a><br />The next day, Friday, four friends came to spend the night. (Nathanael wisely escaped to a friend's house for the night.) Last year, Moriah had a huge party - 15 kids or more for several hours. So, we told her it had to be smaller this year. I'm still trying to figure out how four girls overnight qualifies as smaller! She also included Micaiah in most of her party activities.<br /><br />Moriah wanted a cookie-cake. This is made from Joe's sugar cookie recipe, a family favorite, usually around Christmas. There is a horse decorated on the front. Beth is quite talented.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G21fyiz8AbI/TXMGpoe7pOI/AAAAAAAAIgQ/gmIj4OJzylQ/s1600/MSK_Bday%2B023.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580811675553735906" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G21fyiz8AbI/TXMGpoe7pOI/AAAAAAAAIgQ/gmIj4OJzylQ/s400/MSK_Bday%2B023.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Moriah also opened presents from our family. The other kids got her a bag that she really wanted. She is the queen of bags - bookbags, hand bags, tote bags...<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XmaOyen5NeE/TXMGpWUm_kI/AAAAAAAAIgI/SOSDUlHy7fo/s1600/MSK_Bday%2B016.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580811670678601282" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XmaOyen5NeE/TXMGpWUm_kI/AAAAAAAAIgI/SOSDUlHy7fo/s400/MSK_Bday%2B016.JPG" /></a><br />She was also very pleased to get a more grown up looking NIV Bible.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CUKh1DyXg_I/TXMGpdukYSI/AAAAAAAAIgA/tf1WxFq7NEI/s1600/MSK_Bday%2B018.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580811672666530082" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CUKh1DyXg_I/TXMGpdukYSI/AAAAAAAAIgA/tf1WxFq7NEI/s400/MSK_Bday%2B018.JPG" /></a> </div><div>Her friends brought gifts, too. One gave her a set of personalized pajamas.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OxuR5vFvvdE/TXMGpLxucXI/AAAAAAAAIf4/w2sK0L-EKC0/s1600/MSK_Bday%2B032.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 289px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580811667847934322" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OxuR5vFvvdE/TXMGpLxucXI/AAAAAAAAIf4/w2sK0L-EKC0/s400/MSK_Bday%2B032.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Here is Moriah with her friends when the party was over. </div></div></div></div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580811834762064338" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pWPd5S5X_BM/TXMGy5lJ8dI/AAAAAAAAIgg/42c0d1dLOfc/s400/MSK_Bday%2B034.JPG" />David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-5003063705221972322011-03-05T19:51:00.000-08:002011-03-05T20:12:01.403-08:00The big crashElijah loves to play cars. I think he'd be happy playing cars all day long. Sometimes I take him out where he doesn't really have much to do for an hour or more. As long as he has a car or two to roll, he'll be content for a very long time. He requests that I play cars with him several times a day. And recently he's even been asking our helper to play too (in Indonesian)!<br /><br />Earlier this week, though, he wanted to show me the big crash. He had piled up his cars in the floor, along with a few other items...what a mess. I guess maybe the enormous hamburger was the cause?!<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o2FlyXRB6bE/TXMFYAXxBEI/AAAAAAAAIfw/-xrfw6noFs0/s1600/MSK_Bday%2B001.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580810273216857154" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o2FlyXRB6bE/TXMFYAXxBEI/AAAAAAAAIfw/-xrfw6noFs0/s400/MSK_Bday%2B001.JPG" /></a>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-31414334426124385552011-03-03T06:03:00.000-08:002011-03-03T06:09:13.706-08:00Bon Appetite...again!After the tidbit about the eel earlier in the week, I had to post an article from Fox News about the <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/03/01/10-worst-foods-world/?test=faces">10 worst foods in the world</a>. Two Indonesian foods made the list. I have yet to have Durian. I've had several people describe the taste which left me wondering, "And I'd like to eat that because?!"<br /><br />I have eaten one on the list - Fido (although the current version posted looks like a heading is missing above the section talking about eating Fido).<br /><br />Let me know if you've tried any on the list.David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-31161005839370397792011-02-26T16:45:00.001-08:002011-02-27T02:09:57.447-08:00Hair Cut!(Two posts today. Scroll down to see the other one!)<br /><br />Here is what Micaiah looked like first thing yesterday morning.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 339px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578164297821546194" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-spu9MJMV0iY/TWme395rZtI/AAAAAAAAIfg/f3OKUjRLpO4/s400/haircut%2B003.JPG" /><br />She said that her hair down on her neck was bothering her and making her hot. So, Beth obliged her by cutting it for her.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uFKNUXRqaow/TWme4Y526yI/AAAAAAAAIfo/PTwgVZRUVW0/s1600/haircut%2B004.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 322px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578164305070058274" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uFKNUXRqaow/TWme4Y526yI/AAAAAAAAIfo/PTwgVZRUVW0/s400/haircut%2B004.JPG" /></a> So, here is the new Micaiah. Before, I was disappointed that she was getting rid of her long hair. But now, I think she looks cute either way.<br /><div><br /><br /><div></div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-33893620458988870872011-02-26T16:20:00.000-08:002011-02-26T16:33:07.572-08:00Add eel to the list<div>Earlier this week, I had a chance to go visiting in the kampung. Those are the parts of town where 'normal' people live. I was fed lunch at one of the houses. I had rice (of course), vegetable soup, and some small boiled shrimp - WHOLE.</div><div></div><br /><div>However, the piece de resistance was a purchased snack food. It was offered to me in a plastic bag. It was obvious that they were whole - with the heads. They were probably about 8 inches long (but curled) and not very big around. So, I agreed to sample half of one, my companion getting the other half. Fortunately, I got the tail end. They were very crunchy and honestly did not have a lot of flavor. I don't think I'll be seeking <em>pelut</em> (eel) out any time soon, but I do need to get my kids - especially the girls - to try them!</div><div> </div><div>Bon appetite!</div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 301px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578160699301875522" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NBnpM0qJV2M/TWmbmgXuz0I/AAAAAAAAIfY/nxgJfO2pPiM/s400/dsc_0910%255B1%255D.jpg" /><br /><div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-54458473414621624742011-02-19T23:14:00.000-08:002011-02-19T23:33:06.810-08:00Coconuts!Yesterday while I was playing volleyball, a young man came wanting to harvest some coconuts. There are tall coconut trees on either side of the court, loaded with coconuts. So, he set a ladder against the trunk to cover the first twelve or so feet, and then shinnied up the rest of the way. (The trunk did lean a little one way, so that should make it a little easier.) I'd guess the top was about 40 feet off the ground. As one who is scared of heights, I cringed.<br /><br />He dropped 12-15 coconuts...there were many more, but they must not have been ready or he had what he wanted. He actually only took about 5, leaving the rest with us. When Indonesians have a chance to eat, everything else stops, so we had a snack in the middle of our game.<br /><br />I was also able to bring a coconut home to enjoy with the family. Here I am opening it with a multi-purpose knife/machete. It took a lot of whacks (or else it would have burst open on falling from 40 feet).<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DGzMM1AVgsE/TWC_4rECNfI/AAAAAAAAIfA/6Zv6BTA8fuY/s1600/DSCF0003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575667319037900274" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DGzMM1AVgsE/TWC_4rECNfI/AAAAAAAAIfA/6Zv6BTA8fuY/s400/DSCF0003.JPG" /></a><br />Here I am finishing the delicate part - a little opening in the top without spilling the milk.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2jvCveNKAjg/TWC_4KiizXI/AAAAAAAAIe4/D7uPbxOdEkA/s1600/DSCF0017.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575667310307495282" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2jvCveNKAjg/TWC_4KiizXI/AAAAAAAAIe4/D7uPbxOdEkA/s400/DSCF0017.JPG" /></a><br />Here is the milk that we got out of the coconut (about a pint). Then, on the inner surface there's also some meat that is edible. So we sampled that. None of us were inspired by the flavor of the milk or meat, but we got a cultural lesson. Coconut is a prevalent food ingredient here and the milk is also used medicinally.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nyOfTcsALqc/TWC_4EqPjpI/AAAAAAAAIew/hdlj0KAJklw/s1600/DSCF0019.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 255px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575667308729175698" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nyOfTcsALqc/TWC_4EqPjpI/AAAAAAAAIew/hdlj0KAJklw/s400/DSCF0019.JPG" /></a> </div><div>My dad ocassionally uses to use the English word "coconut" to refer to the human head, especially in the phrase "bump your coconut." In Indonesian the word for head is "kepala" and the word for coconut is "kelapa." Since they're so close, I often have fun intentionally mixing them up. Indonesians usually laugh, but they never use the word "kelapa" to refer to their "kepala". </div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-64065649838191758142011-02-16T06:07:00.000-08:002011-02-16T06:15:59.883-08:002nd Annual Father-Daughter SwimBack in Greensboro, the girls and I enjoyed the Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance, held just before Valentine's Day every year. It was one thing we'd surely miss here. Thankfully, we've been able to just adapt the tradition. This is the second year we've gone swimming and then out to eat for our date. I do things with the girls individually from time to time (but not as often as I'd like), but this is the thing that we'll remember for a long, long time to come.<br /><br />Here we are resting at the pool (self-portrait).<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2KYTkUS24b4/TVvaixARnPI/AAAAAAAAIeg/ds0al7M8Cg4/s1600/FD_date%2B014.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 356px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574289254606019826" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2KYTkUS24b4/TVvaixARnPI/AAAAAAAAIeg/ds0al7M8Cg4/s400/FD_date%2B014.JPG" /></a><br />We enjoy being silly together. One way that we remember all these years of events together is by taking pictures. <br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_oNHsEruTl4/TVvaitSCoRI/AAAAAAAAIeY/uct--ZM_3KE/s1600/FD_date%2B018.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 339px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574289253606793490" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_oNHsEruTl4/TVvaitSCoRI/AAAAAAAAIeY/uct--ZM_3KE/s400/FD_date%2B018.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>This is our dinner attire. We went to Malibu this year. It's one of the nicer restaurants we've been to here in town, with something for everyone. Micaiah had pizza, Moriah grilled chicken and I had grilled salmon. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 384px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574289248894953314" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eY3kvcrMVas/TVvaibupp2I/AAAAAAAAIeQ/9-V26cO4OXU/s400/FD_date%2B016.JPG" />These last two pictures are for you utterers of "Aww...that's so sweet!" I might be a little biased, but I think the girls are sweet. </div><div> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FjrAC35_nNk/TVvaiVtvqwI/AAAAAAAAIeI/0VAQVVCz-aU/s1600/FD_date%2B020.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 318px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574289247280540418" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FjrAC35_nNk/TVvaiVtvqwI/AAAAAAAAIeI/0VAQVVCz-aU/s400/FD_date%2B020.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RaLwSndEHoI/TVvaiBPFl3I/AAAAAAAAIeA/0gZjeOFBUkM/s1600/FD_date%2B022.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 322px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574289241783244658" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RaLwSndEHoI/TVvaiBPFl3I/AAAAAAAAIeA/0gZjeOFBUkM/s400/FD_date%2B022.JPG" /></a> </div></div></div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-1005012448127285172011-01-31T06:33:00.001-08:002011-01-31T07:07:59.339-08:00Adventures in BaliWe were able to get away to Bali last week and meet up with some friends there.<br /><br /><br />We had an interesting trip to the airport. It was the first time I drove there, and the roads are not well marked. I asked a police man which way to go and he gave us bad directions. My gut was correct...maybe that's why men don't ask for directions. Anyway, we ended up on a very bad dirt road for a short distance (the picture doesn't do it justice). I was just thankful that we ended up back on the right road without losing much time.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbJJG036jI/AAAAAAAAId0/3Jy-zDPIYD0/s1600/Bali%2B039.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568359147578583602" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbJJG036jI/AAAAAAAAId0/3Jy-zDPIYD0/s400/Bali%2B039.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Elijah was VERY excited at the airport. He was watching the airplanes, fuel tankers, refueling trucks, service trucks, emergency vehicles, buses, golf carts, tractors, luggage vehicles, etc. Where else would a three year old boy want to be? Everywhere we went on our vacation, Elijah always wanted to know where our car was. He thought he saw it in Bali a number of times!<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbJI1GHo1I/AAAAAAAAIds/sG7tg5SRcC8/s1600/Bali%2B046.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 276px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568359142819078994" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbJI1GHo1I/AAAAAAAAIds/sG7tg5SRcC8/s400/Bali%2B046.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div>I included this picture because it shows there were some similarities to the good ole beach back in NC as well as some new experiences. We found a hermit crab (old experience) but upon being caught, the crab thought it would be better off evacuating from its shell (new experience). We also chased around something very similar to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_crab">ghost crabs </a>on the beach (old experience) and were chased out of the water by a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laticauda_colubrina">sea krait</a> one day (new experience. Click the link if you don't know what this is). <br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbI-YB0rfI/AAAAAAAAIdk/adWItDlerTQ/s1600/Bali%2B071.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568358963217739250" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbI-YB0rfI/AAAAAAAAIdk/adWItDlerTQ/s400/Bali%2B071.JPG" /></a><br />One of our outings was for the three older kids to go to Bali Fun World one afternoon. (Elijah was napping). This was an indoor playground of all kinds of inflatable attractions (unfortunately without air conditioning!). Here, we tried to get as far as we could before the bungy cord yanked us backward.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbI9-WC5hI/AAAAAAAAIdc/_YrGq6Bc5Hg/s1600/Bali%2B076.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 243px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568358956323235346" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbI9-WC5hI/AAAAAAAAIdc/_YrGq6Bc5Hg/s400/Bali%2B076.JPG" /></a></div><div></div><br /><div>We all took a turn on the bull. (A short video clip of David getting thrown off the bull is available upon request - for a nominal fee.)<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbI9jxzhyI/AAAAAAAAIdU/5OtP7y32kfU/s1600/Bali%2B080.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 334px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568358949191911202" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbI9jxzhyI/AAAAAAAAIdU/5OtP7y32kfU/s400/Bali%2B080.JPG" /></a><br />The big slide was a highlight for all the kids.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbI86mnjNI/AAAAAAAAIdM/bL8qznLfClY/s1600/Bali%2B086.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568358938139135186" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbI86mnjNI/AAAAAAAAIdM/bL8qznLfClY/s400/Bali%2B086.JPG" /></a><br />Bouncing on a trampoline is more fun when you're practically weightless.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbI8ui4d9I/AAAAAAAAIdE/-U7ohh4Y5Fg/s1600/Bali%2B092.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568358934902241234" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbI8ui4d9I/AAAAAAAAIdE/-U7ohh4Y5Fg/s400/Bali%2B092.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div>We didn't take a lot of pictures of the surroundings. I imagine that the scenery would have been better in dry season. The nearby mountains would have been pretty, but we only saw their outline one day. The vegetation was really nice. There were countless statues (idols) everywhere. Here is just one example.<br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568358595812343602" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbIo_VjPzI/AAAAAAAAIcc/WJ8LNBFaRIM/s400/Bali%2B134.JPG" /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Here's the rest of the wild life we encountered on our trip to Bali. </div><div></div><br /><div>Micaiah is terrified of spiders. This was an unusually large one:</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 346px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568358612007674946" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbIp7q0ZEI/AAAAAAAAIc0/XJgSS_3b3Ps/s400/Bali%2B117.JPG" /></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbIqcJQgkI/AAAAAAAAIc8/YcoVmiXAluk/s1600/Bali%2B106.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568358620725281346" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbIqcJQgkI/AAAAAAAAIc8/YcoVmiXAluk/s400/Bali%2B106.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbIpgU7PhI/AAAAAAAAIcs/n-ls0uQ_Bb0/s1600/Bali%2B128.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568358604668091922" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbIpgU7PhI/AAAAAAAAIcs/n-ls0uQ_Bb0/s400/Bali%2B128.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbIpcUDXjI/AAAAAAAAIck/D9V6SyZljFs/s1600/Bali%2B129.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568358603590688306" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TUbIpcUDXjI/AAAAAAAAIck/D9V6SyZljFs/s400/Bali%2B129.JPG" /></a> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-20655781919641083472010-12-22T00:28:00.000-08:002010-12-22T00:44:19.706-08:00The Car - A Toyota KIJANGAt long last, here are pictures! This is a 1995 model. It's worth about $5500, believe it or not. We're hoping that it won't depreciate; most cars in this age range haven't been in the last few years. Some actually appreciate.<br /><br />Don't let the SUV look fool you. There's only a 1.8L engine under the hood! It is a straight drive. Most cars here are (and I imagine almost 100% this old are).<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG3tW_zjPI/AAAAAAAAIcQ/sytYUcwttbI/s1600/Kijang%2B021.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553421805419728114" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG3tW_zjPI/AAAAAAAAIcQ/sytYUcwttbI/s400/Kijang%2B021.JPG" /></a><br /><br />We did have some body work done after we bought it. There were some areas under the doors on both sides that had rusted through.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG3tEliQpI/AAAAAAAAIcI/KB6as4jecJQ/s1600/Kijang%2B024.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553421800477704850" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG3tEliQpI/AAAAAAAAIcI/KB6as4jecJQ/s400/Kijang%2B024.JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG3s6Y00JI/AAAAAAAAIcA/zlV-jp7DAws/s1600/Kijang%2B023.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553421797740040338" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG3s6Y00JI/AAAAAAAAIcA/zlV-jp7DAws/s400/Kijang%2B023.JPG" /></a><br /><br />It is a little worn, but most importantly, the A/C works great! Actually, I laughed with Beth last night when I commented: this is the first car we've had with keyless entry. We're moving up! (I'm sure this was not a factory installed feature.)<br /><div><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG3scAMNcI/AAAAAAAAIb4/1i6zPl6AVUk/s1600/Kijang%2B022.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553421789583652290" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG3scAMNcI/AAAAAAAAIb4/1i6zPl6AVUk/s400/Kijang%2B022.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG3seOiySI/AAAAAAAAIbw/aeE-G_CB39Y/s1600/Kijang%2B019.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553421790180722978" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG3seOiySI/AAAAAAAAIbw/aeE-G_CB39Y/s400/Kijang%2B019.JPG" /></a><br />The kids were happy when they learned that we were getting the inboard facing rear seats. These were discontinued in the late 90s. <br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG28oYRa6I/AAAAAAAAIbo/t7vuu3CUCjI/s1600/Kijang%2B020.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553420968272161698" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TRG28oYRa6I/AAAAAAAAIbo/t7vuu3CUCjI/s400/Kijang%2B020.JPG" /></a><br />Learning the way to drive hasn't been as hard as I expected. I've been watching the traffic and others drive for 14 months. I do very frequently turn on the wipers when I mean to signal. And I also always turn to look over the wrong shoulder when backing. Shifting gears with my left hand isn't too bad (the pedals thankfully are the same). We're very thankful for the flexibility that the car is providing. </div></div></div></div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-31017415792144055772010-12-20T04:26:00.000-08:002010-12-20T05:29:48.187-08:00BROMO!!!To see the sunrise on Bromo, you have to get an early start. The alarm went off about 3:30 and we were on our way a couple of minutes after 4.<br />It was dark, raining a bit and foggy. There were a few times we couldn't see anything of where we were going. But our driver had driven the road hundreds of times. (I could do several entries just on our transportation experiences on this trip, but, for now, I'll just make a few comments along the way.)<br /><br />Here we are, around the time we were supposed to be watching the sun rise (about 5:10 AM). The gray background is fog. The sun came up, but we couldn't prove it!<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9Mo1tIVrI/AAAAAAAAIbg/RiPEyFtWT0E/s1600/bromo%2B033.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552741130065958578" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9Mo1tIVrI/AAAAAAAAIbg/RiPEyFtWT0E/s400/bromo%2B033.JPG" /></a> Here is one of our first glimpses of the ash rising from the volcano. For a while, this would appear and quickly vanish in the clouds.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MohH8lPI/AAAAAAAAIbY/zyS4FFWeI1E/s1600/bromo%2B039.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552741124541289714" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MohH8lPI/AAAAAAAAIbY/zyS4FFWeI1E/s400/bromo%2B039.JPG" /></a><br />We were very thankful when the volcano finally appeared. The pictures in the clouds do justice to what we could see then. The low resolution pictures of the (clearer) view don't. The amount of ash pouring from the volcano was amazing. </div><div>In the distance to the south, is Semeru, the highest point on Java (12,060 ft). Bromo is at about 7550 ft. Our lookout point was at an elevation of about 8850 ft. (For a better resolution photo of what can look like shortly after sun rise, <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K_TbQQPvJJ8/TBe7TA4eDGI/AAAAAAAAACs/SunqIQWyFB8/s1600/Bromo+5.jpg">click here</a>.)<br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552740710545904450" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MQa3wU0I/AAAAAAAAIa4/C2xJXzREUTg/s400/bromo%2B056.JPG" /></div><div></div><div>The elevation, dark, wind and dampness made it feel pretty chilly. It was probably somewhere around 50. So, we all bundled up. Here is our whole motley crew.</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552740714073066562" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MQoAsjEI/AAAAAAAAIbA/3NCZ19n_E0k/s400/bromo%2B054.JPG" /></div><div></div><div>This isn't our vehicle, but this is the basic idea. It was a little cramped with 8 people (including driver), but it worked since several are still pretty small.</div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MoUmmxqI/AAAAAAAAIbQ/zAWi0cejNX8/s1600/bromo%2B077.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 336px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552741121180223138" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MoUmmxqI/AAAAAAAAIbQ/zAWi0cejNX8/s400/bromo%2B077.JPG" /></a><br />Here we are in the Jeep about 3 hours after we got up. We were awake, warm, and thus, smiling.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MoMFbKfI/AAAAAAAAIbI/WltCqEw5jXo/s1600/bromo%2B072.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552741118893566450" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MoMFbKfI/AAAAAAAAIbI/WltCqEw5jXo/s400/bromo%2B072.JPG" /></a><br />Another aside about transportation. We descended to the base of the volcano down the steepest road I've ever seen. It was also full of pot holes, places where it was erroded, and there were a number of places where dirt and rocks from above had partially obstructed it. It was also quite narrow, making passing other vehicles an adventure. I was never frightened, but almost always a bit on edge. The picture doesn't do it justice either. We saw a couple of trucks that weren't four-wheel drive, but I don't know how they could have climbed this road. <br /><div><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MQDYR7EI/AAAAAAAAIaw/ybkubLW7-WM/s1600/bromo%2B086.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552740704239873090" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MQDYR7EI/AAAAAAAAIaw/ybkubLW7-WM/s400/bromo%2B086.JPG" /></a><br />Here we are crossing the "sea of sand" to the base of Bromo. In dry season the ground here is white and loose, much more like sand at the beach. Yes, our vehicle was headed the same direction as these Jeeps. We weren't 100% sure this was the best of ideas.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MP2K1B1I/AAAAAAAAIao/N2AtFJWcPek/s1600/bromo%2B087.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552740700693792594" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MP2K1B1I/AAAAAAAAIao/N2AtFJWcPek/s400/bromo%2B087.JPG" /></a><br />This is as close as we got. Somewhere inside a 1/2 mile. More than 1/4 mile, I think. Usually, you can climb up to and go inside the rim. But it's been much more active since late November, so that part is closed.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MPz-8HFI/AAAAAAAAIag/0KX5QJsw3h4/s1600/bromo%2B093.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552740700107054162" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQ9MPz-8HFI/AAAAAAAAIag/0KX5QJsw3h4/s400/bromo%2B093.JPG" /></a><br /><div>I also took a couple of panoramics. The full res versions of these are linked here: <a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7380317/bromo%20082.JPG">up high</a> and <a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7380317/bromo%20089.JPG">down low</a>.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-63152469238488287292010-12-16T20:55:00.000-08:002010-12-16T22:03:03.900-08:00American Girl!(THREE POSTS TODAY - Keep reading below!)<br /><br />The girls have been saving (and some family members in the states have been helping at birthdays and such) so that they could buy American Girl dolls. They have also waited a LONG time for someone to be able to bring dolls to them here. <br /><br />So, here is Moriah, proud owner of <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">"Ruthie."</span></strong> She chose Ruthie because she looked the prettiest. She already started reading the book that came with her doll, "Really Truly Ruthie." She is very happy and can't wait for her friends to come over so they can play with her doll.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQrth6dxnFI/AAAAAAAAIaY/sh4dvX7XpB0/s1600/Copy%2Bof%2BDECb%2B007.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 341px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551510657573166162" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQrth6dxnFI/AAAAAAAAIaY/sh4dvX7XpB0/s400/Copy%2Bof%2BDECb%2B007.JPG" /></a><br /><br />And here is Micaiah with <strong><span style="color:#ffff00;">"Rebecca."</span></strong> Micaiah likes her because she is so cute. Micaiah especially likes the shawl and hat with its bow. Rebecca also has a spot to hold her hair pick. <br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQrthxKTK_I/AAAAAAAAIaQ/mkd-n-kL3Gw/s1600/Copy%2Bof%2BDECb%2B005.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 271px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551510655075560434" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQrthxKTK_I/AAAAAAAAIaQ/mkd-n-kL3Gw/s400/Copy%2Bof%2BDECb%2B005.JPG" /></a></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-70780828822033274902010-12-16T20:14:00.000-08:002010-12-16T20:47:16.288-08:00Elijah's birthdayMost Americans don't get to play in the pool on their birthday if they're born in December!<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 318px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551504761619833602" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQroKuU9YwI/AAAAAAAAIZ4/bkkA9vhPRwY/s400/2010_11a%2B066.JPG" /><br /><br />Elijah's not so big on cake, but he loves ice cream. We were able to buy this special home made cookies and cream ice cream for the celebration. Get this: THIS ICE CREAM HAD MILK IN IT! (It was amazing compared to what we usually get here.)<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 308px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551504763832657458" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQroK2kiZjI/AAAAAAAAIaA/DBt3a1FOhAk/s400/2010_11a%2B072.JPG" /><br />Thanks to everyone who sent notes, gifts, cards, e-cards and called. Elijah loved every minute of it, and you all made the day special.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 305px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551504751903061074" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQroKKITNFI/AAAAAAAAIZw/TuzEoqWXbP0/s400/2010_11a%2B062.JPG" /><br />Elijah was really excited in the days leading up to his birthday. He knew he was about to be 3. But when he got up on his birthday, he wanted to be 2 again. Despite this little setback, he had a great day!<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQroLKUKlYI/AAAAAAAAIaI/sfbZ4ipLhI4/s1600/2010_11a%2B069.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551504769132696962" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQroLKUKlYI/AAAAAAAAIaI/sfbZ4ipLhI4/s400/2010_11a%2B069.JPG" /></a>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-54889876090270549382010-12-16T20:09:00.000-08:002010-12-16T20:13:37.348-08:00Heather hereJust a quick update that Heather (Beth's sister) made it safely. David hired a driver who drove to and fro the airport last night. We got home about 2:45.<br /><br />The kids were so cute and excited yesterday. Elijah woke up from his nap thinking Heather would be here. We told him after he slept she'd be here. But we meant at night. He was disappointed.<br /><br />Moriah asked to go to the airport. I told her "no!" She get's grumpy when she's tired.<br /><br />Finally, Micaiah was so excited she was almost sick last night. She essentially put herself to bed early...I think hoping that would speed Heather's arrival. But, she couldn't get to sleep and was up every fifteen minutes saying she couldn't get to sleep, was hot, disturbed...etc.David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-23935179727391491912010-12-11T22:01:00.000-08:002010-12-11T22:20:50.997-08:00Tidbits from Nathanael's birthday(Two posts today...scroll down to see the other one!)<br /><br />It's hard to believe that Nathanael is already 12! Here he is on his birthday about to blow out the candles on his carrot cake. His Nana would have been proud of that choice. She made the best carrot cakes.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRneIVxhqI/AAAAAAAAIZo/9bYHWKz1dTQ/s1600/2010_11a%2B053.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 375px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549674408159839906" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRneIVxhqI/AAAAAAAAIZo/9bYHWKz1dTQ/s400/2010_11a%2B053.JPG" /></a><br />Apparently turning 12 isn't too bad!!!<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRndkjyOdI/AAAAAAAAIZg/1oEpk9uU8Fk/s1600/2010_11a%2B050.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 282px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549674398554929618" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRndkjyOdI/AAAAAAAAIZg/1oEpk9uU8Fk/s400/2010_11a%2B050.JPG" /></a> </div><div>Micaiah was the entertainment for the night - putting on a puppet show. She used a bunch of Disney character puppets which were left here in the house by the owners. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 381px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549674387808967602" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRnc8hv27I/AAAAAAAAIZI/fcE-TcxaIm0/s400/2010_11a%2B026.JPG" /></div><div>All the kids enjoyed the party.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRndbcQBoI/AAAAAAAAIZY/NiDzvNXWQVI/s1600/2010_11a%2B057.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 313px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549674396107409026" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRndbcQBoI/AAAAAAAAIZY/NiDzvNXWQVI/s400/2010_11a%2B057.JPG" /></a><br />Nathanael also got an indoor basketball hoop and ball. This is perfect for our house because the room is very large big and the ceiling very high you can take really long shots. It's a little hard to control the little, light-weight ball well when shooting long jumpers.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRndLT3XOI/AAAAAAAAIZQ/f0Bs6-9W6Pw/s1600/2010_11a%2B060.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 327px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549674391777271010" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRndLT3XOI/AAAAAAAAIZQ/f0Bs6-9W6Pw/s400/2010_11a%2B060.JPG" /></a><br />Nathanael also had a couple of friends for a sleepover a few days before his birthday. It just happened there was a good holiday that worked out for them to be able to come earlier. Those boys had a great time playing together, too. </div></div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-77698770620372950112010-11-07T23:48:00.000-08:002010-12-11T21:27:20.218-08:00Christmas tree up!In what is somewhat old news now, we have our tree up and decorated. In this picture, the kids are working together to hang up a set of small ornaments - angels, Mary and Joseph, shepherds, etc. Together these ornaments make up a sort of cresh on the tree. Each of the three older kids has a set like this, but only Micaiah's set is here with us, so they put it up together.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549660465409313746" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRayjjAS9I/AAAAAAAAIYw/yS4_6W-oteo/s400/2010_11a%2B018.JPG" /><br /><br />Elijah also had a good time hanging ornaments.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549660464442406738" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRayf8ed1I/AAAAAAAAIYo/o65T9rRd4kk/s400/2010_11a%2B014.JPG" /><br /><br />We also decorated the windows behind the tree.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549660471584155522" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRay6jM54I/AAAAAAAAIY4/rG71E5ONwcE/s400/2010_11a%2B024.JPG" /><br /><br />Decorating for Christmas meant getting out a few Christmas toys and books we have here. Here is our Veggie Tale cresh set that we brought.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549660459040972690" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRayL0rH5I/AAAAAAAAIYg/8s0N_r9qWKA/s400/2010_11a%2B007.JPG" /><br /><br />After all was said and done, here she is. It turned out very well. It makes it feel a lot more like Christmas is coming to have the tree up and familiar Christmas songs playing. The weather outside certainly isn't very frightful!<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRazKso2cI/AAAAAAAAIZA/KOwB1DbIiYs/s1600/2010_11a%2B076.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549660475918703042" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TQRazKso2cI/AAAAAAAAIZA/KOwB1DbIiYs/s400/2010_11a%2B076.JPG" /></a>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-82305069616354231012010-10-27T02:46:00.000-07:002010-10-27T02:51:45.572-07:00Crafty kids(Two posts again today...please scroll down to see the other one.)<br /><br /><br />One frequent Sunday morning activity is a sewing or craft activity for the girls. This week, they made dolls (bunnies, actually) out of a mop head.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 259px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532660299038518034" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TMf1OosY6xI/AAAAAAAAIYQ/8wwkHcBk0kc/s400/make+dolls1.jpg" /><br /><br />Here is the finished product!<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TMf1Orlxy0I/AAAAAAAAIYY/7p1ryJOCkIU/s1600/make+dolls2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 331px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532660299816094530" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TMf1Orlxy0I/AAAAAAAAIYY/7p1ryJOCkIU/s400/make+dolls2.jpg" /></a>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-20856879155478724512010-10-27T02:32:00.000-07:002010-10-27T02:50:45.502-07:00Noises in the darkLast weekend, Beth woke me up about 3 in the morning. She was in near hysterics - "There's a rat in here!" 'Here' being in our bathroom. There's a sort of skylight at the edge of the room, but it has a screen instead of glass. The rat had fallen through the screen.<br /><br />We have an adolescent cat which has only caught lizards so far, so I thought this was a good opportunity for a lesson. I ran to the garage and returned promptly with the cat. The rat didn't have much of anywhere to hide, so it climbed behind the hot water heater cover.<br /><br />The cat tried to get it out, and we tried turning on the hot water (an in-line gas contraption; no tank). This wasn't too effective.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 236px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532656982377039474" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TMfyNlKrBnI/AAAAAAAAIYA/2hPh-_zFI3U/s400/oct_b+009.jpg" /><br />Don't be deceived by the picture. The cat didn't kill the rat. The cat got bitten and was subsequently scared of the rat. So, we cranked the flame on the hot water heater until he got singed and emerged. Then, I (David) smacked him with a broom. UGH!<br /><br />Here is the injured rat. Nice, huh?<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TMfyN-91cxI/AAAAAAAAIYI/ufESaigcLV8/s1600/oct_b+010.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 233px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532656989302518546" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TMfyN-91cxI/AAAAAAAAIYI/ufESaigcLV8/s400/oct_b+010.jpg" /></a>As you can imagine, that wasn't one of our better night's sleep recently! But, most importantly, the hot water heater wasn't damaged.David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-49056013008423136102010-10-21T18:21:00.000-07:002010-10-21T18:55:45.622-07:00Fun with Elijah<p>Here is Elijah dancing. He loves to dance to peppy music. In this clip, he's 'feeling it' during the Veggie Tales version of Funkytown.</p><p><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyKRO6bvUhIKst9sfn2mBXsMC49YbRhAF8tXJxAksSA7t0h38IGQbEYAJOcCq1WgwllvDAQxIFyQftM5kegRA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></p><p>Here are some other things Elijah is up to:</p><p>He loves to race. He always asks other members of the family to "Race with me." He is Lightening McQueen. The other contestant is Mater (or multiple Maters). Then, we race, usually in circles around the table. He is the only one who knows how many laps, so he always reaches the back of the sofa first!</p><p>For a long tim, we have let each of the three older kids pray before one of our meals each day. Now, Elijah has 'hijacked' these prayers and always mixes his voice with the others. At every meal, he prays for our breakfast, our lunch and our dinner. We figure we're covered for a while into the future!</p><p>He also likes to play Uno. But, his goal isn't to get rid of all his cards. He wants to collect as many blue cards as possible. He'll even take your blue cards, if you let him.</p><p>He's now potty trained, but when it's time to go, he always lets us know, "It's dark in nere" (there). That's his way of asking us to turn on the bathroom light, even when it's not that dark in there. He also has a stool so he can wash his hands himself (enjoying letting the water run), but he can't get the liquid soap. We get a lot of requests to help him get soap, too.</p><p>Whenever anyone goes anywhere he's always ready to go. He loves to wait for a taxi or for someone else's car to arrive to pick us up. He likes to watch people drive away from our gate. And he always goes with us to walk the kids to school and pick them up. He likes to be Lightenin' McQueen then, too, and "Go faster." </p><p>Hope this gives those of you so far away a little glimpse of what Elijah is like these days!</p>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-18099671368084459412010-10-14T23:59:00.000-07:002010-10-15T00:20:47.044-07:00Up the mountainTwo posts today - be sure to scroll down to see the other one.<br /><br />At the end of August, we had a chance to visit a family that lives up in the mountains. We roughly estimate the elevation to be around 5500 ft. It was a great time to be away from the city for a couple of nights - and the climate is very different up there.<br /><br />Out of the back window was a beautiful view. In the early morning, it was clear and beautiful, but by late morning the clouds and fog would settle in.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528166485538340610" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TLf-IQ27fwI/AAAAAAAAIXw/bhVg2ZM0rCU/s400/bromo+003.jpg" /><br />We were glad to be away from the city heat. It was 52 <span style="color:#ff0000;">in the house</span> on Sunday morning! We also were able to have a fire on Saturday evening - we all enjoyed that.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528165876121542306" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TLf9kympHqI/AAAAAAAAIXA/D4E4A8G9J6A/s400/bromo+002.jpg" /><br />We didn't just rest. One thing we did was help teach an English class Saturday morning.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TLf9lXuGmhI/AAAAAAAAIXI/Sh00BC-fBVA/s1600/bromo+009.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528165886084946450" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TLf9lXuGmhI/AAAAAAAAIXI/Sh00BC-fBVA/s400/bromo+009.jpg" /></a> </div><br />The local people work at agriculture, growing many kinds of vegetables throughout the year. This made the countryside look like a patch-work quilt.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TLf-Jb93cjI/AAAAAAAAIX4/Q-TOB_P1d9M/s1600/bromo+005.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528166505700094514" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TLf-Jb93cjI/AAAAAAAAIX4/Q-TOB_P1d9M/s400/bromo+005.jpg" /></a><br />This is actually a tourist area, so there is a 4-star hotel up there!<br /><div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TLf9l1ECPHI/AAAAAAAAIXY/HWYiIydUGi4/s1600/bromo+017.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528165893961563250" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TLf9l1ECPHI/AAAAAAAAIXY/HWYiIydUGi4/s400/bromo+017.jpg" /></a><br />There are many Hindus in the area. They leave out food as an offering to the spirits in structures like this one.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TLf9luinJmI/AAAAAAAAIXQ/w3P7gpMlQ0E/s1600/bromo+013.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528165892210763362" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TLf9luinJmI/AAAAAAAAIXQ/w3P7gpMlQ0E/s400/bromo+013.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div></div></div></div></div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-34747578416581403032010-08-21T21:20:00.001-07:002010-10-14T23:57:57.342-07:00The basketball teamNathanael is part of the basketball club at Charis. They practice every Friday, and occasionally have games. Here are some pictures from one of his games. He has a tournament at the end of October here in the city. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCngmOeWHI/AAAAAAAAIWw/MgxKlqnETLA/s1600/2010_july_CAMPING+130.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 254px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508086522733025394" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCngmOeWHI/AAAAAAAAIWw/MgxKlqnETLA/s400/2010_july_CAMPING+130.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCnf8NUuII/AAAAAAAAIWo/PAlAGcr75u8/s1600/2010_july_CAMPING+127.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 222px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508086511453911170" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCnf8NUuII/AAAAAAAAIWo/PAlAGcr75u8/s400/2010_july_CAMPING+127.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCnfK1vkyI/AAAAAAAAIWg/IPKzux2sMYI/s1600/2010_july_CAMPING+125.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508086498201670434" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCnfK1vkyI/AAAAAAAAIWg/IPKzux2sMYI/s400/2010_july_CAMPING+125.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-77505966847208137162010-08-21T21:11:00.000-07:002010-08-21T22:48:17.141-07:00At play in AugustHe's a small sampling of the things going on in our house.<br /><br />One of our recent family activities has been to go out in front of the house and ride bikes. This has allowed us to meet a neighbor. The ideal time to ride is right around 5pm. The air has cooled by then. It's still light. And, most importantly, the gate at one end of the street gets closed, so there's almost no traffic.<br /><br />Moriah now has a bike, too. Here she is on it. <br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508082560830103986" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCj5-_NYbI/AAAAAAAAIWA/QohS9EdxXvg/s400/at_play+007.jpg" /><br />Here is the bike that Nathanael has had for a while. One of the neighbors here GAVE it to him. What a blessing!<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCj7hgqUlI/AAAAAAAAIWY/nCZjUQwnOe0/s1600/at_play+012.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 357px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508082587277087314" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCj7hgqUlI/AAAAAAAAIWY/nCZjUQwnOe0/s400/at_play+012.jpg" /></a> Micaiah is slowly growing stronger and more confident. <br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508082566557713586" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCj6UUxxLI/AAAAAAAAIWI/AaB5woEYLqM/s400/at_play+009.jpg" /></div><div>Elijah is not a biker, yet. He loves to go out and push his stroller around. Sometimes he tries to run into me. (See the mischeif in his eyes?)</div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCj664kcaI/AAAAAAAAIWQ/Oo2yqaTf3gw/s1600/at_play+010.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 270px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508082576908382626" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCj664kcaI/AAAAAAAAIWQ/Oo2yqaTf3gw/s400/at_play+010.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div>Elijah is potty training. He has his good and bad days. After success, he sometimes gets a treat. This time, his treat turned his mouth completely blue!<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCj5R4ek0I/AAAAAAAAIV4/pEYVXADjjv0/s1600/at_play+002.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 314px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508082548722275138" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/THCj5R4ek0I/AAAAAAAAIV4/pEYVXADjjv0/s400/at_play+002.jpg" /></a>We recently used an iTunes gift card to download <em>Bob and Larry Sing the 70s</em>. It got pretty funky in our house. Here is Elijah dancing to the Funkytown. This is basically the same motion that he uses to 'jump.' (Hope the video works...I'm not sure it uploaded correctly. Let me know if not.)</div><div><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxV6MFRCr5bwvf8lVYS4HgG-229tq-S45D4lu0O7owkhkChaYO4rrAV7O3I0x-e9f-TYGYTWYP-4F6EbmAWUw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></div></div></div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254667351406034423.post-84681836585034473722010-08-18T19:02:00.001-07:002010-08-18T19:26:58.178-07:00Independence DayIndependence day in Indonesia is unique. I think the main reason for this is that it is the primary non-religious holiday of the year. Therefore, everyone can celebrate together, regardless of who they are. <br />In preparation for the holiday (early August), everyone spruces up their yards, frontage, streets, etc. The flag is proudly displayed. Red and white is put up everywhere. And everyone here is proud. <br />Our yard is no exception. However, our flagpole had a branch hanging over its top. So, I had to climb a try to cut down that branch before we could put up our flag. <br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506936807155921778" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TGyR2V8Nc3I/AAAAAAAAIVI/YoIyTeVmUEI/s400/2010_august+014.jpg" /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TGyR3P97zOI/AAAAAAAAIVY/PKcu90Uzg8c/s1600/2010_august+020.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506936822732410082" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TGyR3P97zOI/AAAAAAAAIVY/PKcu90Uzg8c/s400/2010_august+020.jpg" /></a><br />Traditionally, each neighborhood has a celebration with food and games. This year was a bit different because Independence Day coincides with the fast. So, we went to our language school to enjoy some I.D. activities. <br /><br />First, we cooked fish. They broke us into groups and made it a cooking contest. So each group prepared a few fish by their recipe. As an afterthought, we added hush puppies to our fare. Here I am cooking those. <br /><div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 211px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506937549034692082" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TGyShhp5HfI/AAAAAAAAIVg/Pl-IjpZG1B4/s400/2010_august+054.jpg" /></div><div>After cooking the fish, it was on to the games. These are all traditional Independence Day games here. One was a race to fan a balloon over a distance of about 30 ft. Elijah tried this one. It turned out that the wind was more of a factor than the contestants' skill. (It was an unusually windy day.)</div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TGySiJj1euI/AAAAAAAAIVw/EnK1DnPEp34/s1600/2010_august+077.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 339px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506937559746706146" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TGySiJj1euI/AAAAAAAAIVw/EnK1DnPEp34/s400/2010_august+077.jpg" /></a> Nathanael and Moriah tried carrying a marble in a spoon back and forth. <br /></div></div><div><div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506935921315649970" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TGyRCx7bmbI/AAAAAAAAIU4/rcl2SPd-x0s/s400/2010_august+072.jpg" /></div><div>Here is my moment of victory in the 'putting a ball-point pen in a bottle' game. Not as easy as it looks. As you can see, the Indonesian spectators get excited. </div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TGySh82ve-I/AAAAAAAAIVo/TYVpmDYLsfY/s1600/2010_august+069.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 332px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506937556336344034" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iTJKWBYakKI/TGySh82ve-I/AAAAAAAAIVo/TYVpmDYLsfY/s400/2010_august+069.jpg" /></a>Moriah and Nathanael also tried the kerupuk eating contest. Think of it as hanging a rice cake from a string at nose level and trying to eat it without using your hands (or drinking water for that matter). Moriah placed second because of her unique ability to grab the food with her lips and work it down into her mouth to get decent sized bites.<br /></div></div></div>David and Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509396764161543282noreply@blogger.com0